INAUGURAL vPEARL 2011 SUMMIT DEBUTS VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT COLAB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) September 15, 2011 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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INAUGURAL vPEARL 2011 SUMMIT DEBUTS VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT COLAB

Interactive Event Sponsored by IEEE Promotes Creativity and Exploration of Practices in Virtual Environments

Los Angeles, CA, 15 September, 2011 – “Harnessing the untapped power of converging 3D technologies” is the theme of the inaugural vPearl (Virtual: Play, Exchange, Advise, Renew, Learn) 2011 Summit being held September 20-21 at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City. Sponsored by the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE-SA), the event’s unusual studio environment was designed to promote creativity in the exploration of all kinds of practices for virtual environments.

This highly interactive inaugural event will create an exchange of practices and educate, entertain and immerse attendees in the world of virtual environments. Through participation in “Breakouts for Solution” teams, attendees will explore virtual environment solutions for modern day challenges. Both onsite and virtual participants, facilitated by the VE CoLab, a community of virtual environment experts, sponsored by IEEE-SA and supported by e426.org.

“There is an immense amount of value in bringing together great leaders who can advance the medium of virtual ‘everything,’” says Sandy Kearney, Chief Executive Officer of e426.org. “With the breadth and depth of experience technology, refined through the exploration of both technology and a game, there is nothing but pure results – a thriving ecosystem for the world to further advance humanity. This is what vPEARL is all about.”

The goXOGO play format will create a fun, collaborative experience for the on-site and virtual participants. Starting from seed ideas, teams will choose the challenge that fits them best and will then execute the project in multiple virtual locations, capturing as many practices as possible. The data collected will build the core of a database, which will be available to users worldwide, while continuing to develop opportunities for standards and universal and best practices.

A variety of virtual environment platforms will be available for use by participants including 3DVIA, Avaya Government Solutions, Reallusion, ActiveWorlds, The National Training & Education Resource (NTER), Jibe, Second Life, TechSmith, Vastpark, Venuegen, and Camtasia.

A key highlight of the Summit will be a one-hour virtual environment link to the ReLIVE11 Creative Solutions for New Futures Conference, being held simultaneously in the UK, to share key findings and awards for the best solutions developed by the teams, based on creativity and applicability.

“IEEE-SA has established a rock solid reputation worldwide for fostering cross-industry collaboration and consensus related to emerging technologies and state-of-the art innovations,” said Judith Gorman, managing director, IEEE-SA. “Virtual environments will have a radical impact on how we play, work and live as citizens of the world, and standards and other collaborative endeavors are critical for taking 3D technologies and applications to an entirely new level.”

The Summit will be opened by Richard Taylor, Vice-Chair of the Visual Effects Society and 28-year member of the Director’s Guild of America, launching the teams with a focus on advancing virtual environments by learning through the history of cinematography.

“The most powerful tool on Earth is the human mind,” says Taylor. “It’s time to use our imaginations to fuse immersive technology into an interconnected paradigm that will change the future of science, education, medicine and the arts. We need to create tools for the user that seem familiar but are entirely new.”

In addition to Taylor, industry experts scheduled to address attendees include Dr. Paul Debevec, Associate Director of Graphics Research at the University of Southern California Computer Science Institute for Creative Technologies; Neville Spiteri, Founder of WemoMedia, a next generation digital studio focused on globally shared media and storytelling; Al Bunshaft, Managing Director at Dassault Systemes, a corporation focused on Virtual Universes for Sustainable Innovation; Eric Hanson, author of four educational DVDs on digital environments for The Gnomon Workshop; Mark Lowe, CEO at Zero G Games and at Twin Monolith; Paul Casson, Visual Silicon Machines; and William E. May, Office Director of the Visual Diplomacy Engagement Office of The U.S. Department of State.

The 2-day event will be documented by award-winning cinematographer and VE CoLab co-founder Harry Karidis, who will overview the filming of the work effort, the creativity, and the breakthroughs which are expected to occur during this groundbreaking Summit.

“The total explosion of paradigms taking place today are seen by the VE CoLab as opportunities to innovate and move society forward, to solve some of our most challenging problems,” says Karidis. “Cross-pollination of ideas, expertise and creative new approaches to 21st century experiences drives this community of thought leaders. Collaborating through more immersive approaches made possible by exponentially advancing technologies has been the focus of the creation of this event.”

For more information or registration for the vPearl 2011 Summit, visit http://standards.ieee.org/news/vpearl/index.html or http://www.vecolab.org.

About VECoLab

The VeColab is a community of thought leaders and action oriented people, dedicated to the advancement of humanity through experience technology. We focus on the “virtual” interactions of humans required to reconnect people in today’s highly networked information technology centric world. The team as a keystone in the ecosystem of experience technology brings together the bright thinkers and those who can accomplish transformation to ask and answer questions, meeting challenges that will advance humanity and the medium of virtual environments. The community is in its third year of existence and growing. For more information visit the VEColab website at http://www.vecolab.org.

About the IEEE Standards Association
The IEEE Standards Association, a globally recognized standards-setting body within IEEE, develops consensus standards through an open process that engages industry and brings together a broad stakeholder community. IEEE standards set specifications and best practices based on current scientific and technological knowledge. The IEEE-SA has a portfolio of over 900 active standards and more than 500 standards under development. For more information visit the IEEE-SA website at http://standards.ieee.org/.

About IEEE

IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice on a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Learn more at http://www.ieee.org.

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